Auf Wiedersehen

I've been putting off writing this post because it's a sad one for our family. Living in Germany for five and a half years was amazing and it was so hard to pull up our roots, say goodbye, and fly away. Living anywhere for that long makes for a difficult transition; I remember feeling the same way when it was time to leave Wyoming.

Living in Germany was really good for all of us. For the majority of our time in Germany we lived about thirty minutes from Jared's work and the other things on base.  Thirty minutes isn't the longest drive, but it was long enough to make us think twice about whether or not we really needed to go before just driving to the base.  As a result, we stayed home more and it gave us time to strengthen our relationships with each other. Because we didn't have broadcast television we grew used to doing things besides turning on the TV when we were bored. We read books, played lots of games together, did puzzles, played the piano, and spent tons of time outside.  Over the last almost six years Jared and I have grown closer as well; it feels to me as if things have been almost perfect in our relationship. One of my biggest fears/questions/worries through this move has been wondering if we can continue to enjoy so much happiness at home or if it was all just a side effect of our location.

It's hard to pin down the one thing we'll miss most.  The bread? I know that sounds like a strange thing to miss, but the bakeries there are so good.  The other delicious foods like doner kebabs, schnitzel, bratwurst, bratkartoffeln, spatzele, white asparagus, maultaschen, apfelschorle, waffles, crepes, and just about all the other fest foods? Okay, time to branch out from foods! The beautiful countryside? The higher speed limits on the Autobahn? The weather? There's definitely something to be said for low humidity. The people? It might be the people.

We made some amazing friends while we were there and it was really hard to say goodbye.  As a parent, it was difficult for me to comfort our kids about the upcoming loss of their friends when I was so filled with sadness anticipating my own goodbyes. I seriously considered skipping church our last Sunday so I could leave without saying goodbye to everyone - goodbyes are the hardest.  I did end up going though and pretty much cried my way through the entire three hours.  It wasn't pretty.  In the end, I think what we will miss the most is a combination of all those things.  Our lifestyle, for lack of a better word, while we lived in Germany was perfect. The pace of life, the people around us, the girl's schools, Jared's work, everything was just right and it's hard to believe that we might find such a good fit somewhere new.

We grew a lot physically during our time in Germany as well. The girls are obviously much bigger than they were when we arrived at the tail end of 2008 because, as children are wont to do, they grew!

Madison 
Emily
Abigail
Samantha
Natalie
Jared and I look just the same, right? Well, we've done our share of growing too we just haven't grown any taller!
Now it's on to new adventures and new chances to learn and grow.  Wish us luck!

Comments

  1. LarisaJuly 19, 2014 at 9:37 PM

    I can remember the exact same feelings when we left. We have lived so much of our lives there in Germany, and our children had grown up there. It was doubly hard for John, leaving the ward as bishop. It was a long while before we stopped saying, "When we lived in Germany...." Just remember: we're a short drive away and more than happy to create new stateside memories with you <3

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